New computer
Apr. 4th, 2005 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sharplittleteethI'm thinking of buying laptop.
Mostly for writing. Something light and rugged and portable. Something I can take out a cafe with me, or perch on my lap while I sit on the couch.
The main criteria: I'm not spending more than $2000 on it.
The two I've been eyeing off are the Dell Inspiron 510m, and the Apple 12" iBook.
The Dell is heavier, and uglier. But it has a larger screen, and a DVD burner. The iBook is lighter, prettier, and I suspect it's more rugged. But- smaller screen and no DVD burner.
And then there's the Operating System question.
I'm a Windows boy. But I'm not fanatical about it. I use Macs a fair bit at work. There are things I like about them, and things I don't. Fundamentally, they're both computer systems, and they both do more or less the same things. So the decision between them comes down to the small things.
Like keyboard shortcuts.
I'm fluent at Windows. I know the quirks, I know the keyboard shortcuts, I know how to get things done. And while I can drive a Mac just fine, I always feel like I'm stuck in low gear. I just don't know the shortcuts. I just don't have the familiarity to make them really zing.
That may sound like a reason to buy Windows. But it's not. Because the only way I'll ever get that familiarity is to actually own and use a Mac.
I don't know. What do you people think? Anyone got any stories on either model? Or are there other computers I should be looking at?
Mostly for writing. Something light and rugged and portable. Something I can take out a cafe with me, or perch on my lap while I sit on the couch.
The main criteria: I'm not spending more than $2000 on it.
The two I've been eyeing off are the Dell Inspiron 510m, and the Apple 12" iBook.
The Dell is heavier, and uglier. But it has a larger screen, and a DVD burner. The iBook is lighter, prettier, and I suspect it's more rugged. But- smaller screen and no DVD burner.
And then there's the Operating System question.
I'm a Windows boy. But I'm not fanatical about it. I use Macs a fair bit at work. There are things I like about them, and things I don't. Fundamentally, they're both computer systems, and they both do more or less the same things. So the decision between them comes down to the small things.
Like keyboard shortcuts.
I'm fluent at Windows. I know the quirks, I know the keyboard shortcuts, I know how to get things done. And while I can drive a Mac just fine, I always feel like I'm stuck in low gear. I just don't know the shortcuts. I just don't have the familiarity to make them really zing.
That may sound like a reason to buy Windows. But it's not. Because the only way I'll ever get that familiarity is to actually own and use a Mac.
I don't know. What do you people think? Anyone got any stories on either model? Or are there other computers I should be looking at?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-04-04 03:24 am (UTC)I still miss the mac, but have grown used to the IBM - I now use PCs at work (whereas I used to only use Mac) and it's just easier - easier for file transfers and the like, and I'm about three operating systems behind on the Mac.
Having said that... I'd probably go back to Mac in a flash if I could get what I wanted at a comparative price, and if all the software I used was available on both platforms (it isn't).
My 2c.